Gotham Ville, Illinois.

View Gotham, Illinois in a larger map This is my final news item for my Intro to Interactive Media class. This Blog entry is about 3 major items that have been highlighted on my map. One is about a Man that was critically wounded in a Humboldt Park shooting. Maybe I should express more about the matter, but its pretty much open and shut. The second story is about how Cook County Board President put Mayor Rahm Emmanuel on blast about how he and the Police Chief are handling the shootings in the city. And last and certainly the LEAST; the 3rd story is about local Chicago embarrassment entertainer "Chief Keef", and how he had an interview filmed of him at a gun range....Can you say Duhh?? You're on probation DUMMY!!

@JoeBlacula Presents - Sylva Maria @SylvaMaria8

Sylva Maria

Click here to download Crash Landing

“Crash Landing” is brought to you from the uniquely chameleon styled mind of Chicago Artist Sylva-Maria.  Also known as Star, Rasta Child Morning, and The Lioness, Sylva-Maria uses Crash Landing as a bridge to a new era is Music.  Labeled by Sylva-Maria as ’Rhythm & Rhyme,’ her manner of sonic projection leaves nothing to be wanted no matter what genre of urban music you prefer.  

https://sylvamaria.com/

When ‘Star’ emerges, you are hit with bars from a talented lyricist.  Tracks like ‘Promise’ and ‘Note to Self’ from Crash Landing deliver classic Hip Hop with metaphoric bars stimulating any listener.  ‘Real Fire Spitters’ featuring Kadar is meant to guarantee her position as someone who knows how to lay down bars. 

Always incorporating melody into every thread of her music, ’Sylva-Maria’ is the songstress that adds the R&B element to every song.  Her sound and her voice is not your normal take on R&B.  There is a rough passion that hollows out her soul when she turns her words into melodic representations of her thoughts.  

http://www.gowherehiphop.com/node/21423

What is masterfully evident when ‘Rasta Child Morning’ settles in on the Mic’, is Sylva-Maria’s Jamaican heritage.  With her father being born and raised in Jamaica, and her American mother having a genuine passion for the culture, Reggae is a big part of Crash Landing.  Tracks like ‘Keys To The City’ and ‘Trippin’ infuse Jamaican Patios with common Hip Hop, giving it a blended sound of her two cultures.  Using her father, Reggae Artist Michael Black on the hook for the track ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ gives a trail to her lineage.  ’Too Experienced’ is laid over an energetic island style rhythm, bringing together the singer Sylva-Maria, with the rapper Star, providing an exact mesh of what Sylva-Maria is all about.  

https://sylvamaria.com/

When needed, Sylva-Maria draws even more energy into her music by featuring members from her Crew, “The Knights of The Mic.”  Being diverse in sound is a consistent theme in any Sylva-Maria project, and her Crew only adds more to that sound.

https://sylvamaria.com/

As a single Chicago girl with no children, Music is Life for Sylva-Maria. Crash Landing has the soul purpose of exposing the world to intelligent, heart-felt music with a meaning.  Sylva-Maria’s views on Religion, Love, and Life are represented equally in her music to not only educate people on who she is, but to have others have a point of view to relate to.

All photos taken by @ladonnaraeh

WTH?? Starz "Fires" Boss After ONLY Two Seasons!!

Starz has canceled Boss after two seasons, Entertainment Weekly reports.....What the hell maaan....I'm really getting sick of this!!

 "After much deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to not proceed with Boss," the network said in a statement. "We remain proud of this award-winning show, its exceptional cast and writers, and are grateful to Kelsey Grammer, Farhad Sarafina and our partners at Lionsgate TV."

   Despite the show's low ratings, Grammer won a Golden Globe award for his portrayal of the Chicago politician.

 I dunno what the hell is going on with our Chicago based TV shows!! I'm wondering if the rest of the world just doesn't wanna watch about how corrupt our politicians and police are here in this great city. This canceling Chicago based TV shows, from what I can remember goes all the way back to Chicago Hope, next would be, The Chicago Code, The Playboy Club, Mob Doctor just got yanked off of FOX, and now Boss!!

  I'm actually pissed because I ACTUALLY LIKED THE SHOW!! They were shooting all over the city, and the acting was top notch! The sets that they used were excellent! If I didn't know the process of how movies are made, and how convincing that the designs of sets can be, I would've thought that they were filming on the 5th floor of city hall here in Chicago. Plus the storyline about the mayor slowly losing his mind, but wanting to maintain his powerful grip.....man it was deep!! 

   But as I watched, I noticed just how....REAL...the subject matter was, and I wondered actually how long this show was gonna stay on the air. I had this theory of why when they would open up the mayors office door on the 5th floor, it always seemed to cover up Mayor Harold Washington's face on the wall. In my mind, they were trying to cover up the fact that our beloved Mayor was murdered in his mayoral prime. After a while, they started slightly showing his face and I eased up a lil bit. The stories just seemed to be tellin a little TOO much of our business, and I hoped that it wouldn't get yanked. NOPE!! They yanked it!! 

   I'm starting to feel that actor Troy Garity is a bad luck charm. He played the white barber in the 1st Barber Shop movie with Ice Cube. Ice Cube makes a sequel, and it SUCKED!! I still supported the movie because it's a Cube flick, and it's Chicago. I mean, c'mon man! That's a no brainer. But then Garity shows up in The Playboy Club; The Playboy Club gets cancelled. Are we starting to see a pattern here people? Good lookin out for Garity for clearly staying here for the past few years. I'm sure he has his options. Why? Because he's Jane Fonda's son, and he's not from here that's why!!

The series also showcased the growing talents or rapper Clifford "TI" Harris. I've always been a fan of his music, and his "Family Hustle" series on VH1 is a favorite in the Whitaker household. I forgot the name of the character that he played, (Trey Rogers) but he played a shady cat, that lived in an undisclosed area of the city, and was the go between from the politicians and the hood dwellers. Once again another example of "Keepin it TOO damn real"!

Sanaa Lathan

And what about Sanaa Lathan?? Aint it hard enough for black actresses in Hollywood? She had a major role and played a major character on Boss. I'm guessing that she's happy that she still has her gig on "The Cleveland Show" on FOX. 

A special shout out to Chicago's own Karen Aldridge, who has gone from playing a doctor on BOSS, to playing a doctor on Chicago Fire. Keep up the great work! Holla at me so I can give you a well deserved interviewed.

  

 I'm very happy to have 2 great seasons that I can order on DVD, and watch em when I feel like it. For me to say that i'm hoping that they bring it back would be just plain ole stupid because they just don't do that anymore. So as of lately i've started watching Chicago Fire on NBC. It's decent, but it mos def aint BOSS! I'm gonna show support because i'm a media student at Kennedy King College, and i'm all about supporting local media activities that would employ my peers. 

The 10 Greatest Ghostwriters in Hip Hop

Allegations that Stic Man and Jay Eletronica contributed some writing to Nas’ Untitled LP has added another chapter to hip-hop’s never-ending ghostwriting saga. Though initially billed as a cardinal sin, it’s been prevalent in hip-hop from the start. Grandmaster Caz famously penned lyrics on The Sugarhill Gang and Big Daddy Kane earned stripes for writing half of Biz Markie’s debut, Going Off, including classics cuts like “Vapors” and “Biz Is Going Off.”

Over the years ghostwriting has become somewhat acceptable when provided for non-traditional rappers. Clearly, moguls like Diddy and Jermaine Dupri were too busy closing deals and producing to write for themselves, so their use of writers-for-hire was tolerated. It’s what’s made the Nas claims so controversial. Under no circumstances should such a prolific wordsmith lean on any kind of lyrical aid.

It's important to point out that the extent of stic. man and Jay Elec's alleged writing is still unclear. Both spoke up in Nas' defense, but their response wasn't explicit enough to put the issue to bed. It's pretty common for MCs to borrow a line or two from time to time. Could this be the case? Cormega's been on record saying that he lent Nas his famous, "I'll be flooded with ice so hell fire can't scorch me," on The Firm's "Affirmative Action." The rest of Nasty's verse was all his.

For now, Esco's alleged ghostwriting fiasco remains a mystery. What has been confirmed, however, is that God's Son has historically been assisting other rappers. He’s written for Dr. Dre, Will Smith and Diddy, and God knows who else isn’t on record. Plenty more MCs have serviced their bars for cash over the years. 

10. Royce da 5'9" (Tie)

Known Clients: Dr. Dre, Diddy
Nickel-Nine infamously contributed to Dr. Dre’s 2001 album (“The Message”), but his manager violated the first rule of ghostwriting: thou shall not speak. The Detroit MC’s behind-the-scenes man blabbed to the media and the good doctor quickly rebuked their pass to the land of D-R-E. Despite the hiccup, Diddy later hired Royce for his poison pen. There's been murmurs that Royce will be contributing to Detox as well.

10. Rick Ross (Tie)

Known Clients: Trina, Diddy, Dr. Dre
Ricky Rozay’s resume includes gold albums, crew construction and block bangers. But before Ross became the Bawse, he was the employee: double R wrote rhymes for his former label-mate, Trina, and rumors about that the Miami MC put in work for Trick Daddy. Although he didn’t exactly deliver his, Ross’ work helped launch Slip-N-Slide into the mainstream. Who knows nann now?

9. Grandmaster Caz

Known Clients: Sugarhill Gang
He may not possess a litany of credits, but Caz, undoubtedly, has the ghostwriting credit—he penned the rhymes behind hip-hop’s first breakout hit, “Rapper’s Delight.” Technically, GMC didn’t ghostwrite since his book of rhymes was stolen. However, years later he received the acknowledgement he long deserved.

8. Sauce Money

Known Clients: Diddy
Sauce Muthafuckin’ is an MC with bars sharper than Ludacris’ hairline. The one-time Jay-Z cronie took ghostwriting efforts to new heights when the crafty wordsmith won a Grammy for penning Diddy’s tribute to his fallen friend, B.I.G, “We’ll Be Missing You.” It’s a feat unmatched, still.

7. Big Daddy Kane

Known Clients: Biz Markie
King Asiatic Nobody’s Equal was suave on the mic, but the Brooklyn MC was also devastating with a pen. Kane crafted classics for himself, but he also increased the value of his Juice Crew brethren Biz Markie’s catalog. “Vapors” was one of the few gifted Biz’s way from BDK.

6. Nas

Known Clients: Will Smith, Dr. Dre, Diddy, Foxy Brown, Jermaine Dupri
Despite being embroiled in a controversy this past week over allegations that he, himself, used ghostwriters on his Untitled album, Nas has a history of penning hits for others, most notably his former labelmate, Will Smith. The Queens poet put in writing duties for Smith on the Tinsel Town titan’s Big Willie Style album, contributing “Gettin’ Jiggy wit It,” “Miami” and more. He also put in work for Dr. Dre (“Watcher”), Diddy (“I Need A Girl”), Foxy Brown and Jermaine Dupri. Whether he needed help to be more radical or not, one thing’s certain: Esco is more than able to cover that fly shit.

5. The Notorious B.I.G.

Known Clients: Lil' Kim, Lil Cease, Diddy
Biggie didn’t keep his twisted genius all to himself. He shared some with Lil’ Kim too. It’s best exemplified on Kim’s classic debut, Hard Core. Big ’s contributions weren’t always officially credited, but his being Kim’s mouthpiece was public knowledge. Kim’s “Queen Bitch” reference track would later surface. Hearing Big Poppa rhyming, “Got buffoons eating my pussy while I watch cartoons” was priceless. And Kim, delivered it flawlessly. The Black Frank White would also write for Lil’ Cease and Diddy, but nothing comes close to the blueprint he’s laid for Kim’s legendary career.

4. Jay-Z

Known Clients: Memphis Bleek, Foxy Brown, Dr. Dre
Jay-Z’s ‘96 debut, Reasonable Doubt may not have struck platinum until much later, but the God MC earned a plaque that same year for his writing contributions to Foxy Brown’s Ill Na Na. He’d previously written for Fox on RD’s “Ain’t No Nigga” and penned Memphis Bleek’s verse on “Coming of Age.” He arguably topped himself when he ghostwrote Dr. Dre’s “Still Dre” three years later. Not only did Jigga Man pen from Dre’s perspective as if the Good Doctor wrote it himself, Brooklyn’s own captured West Coast life as if he was bred in Compton. Only a select few have been fortunate enough to benefit from Mr. Carter’s pen. He doesn't share his sharp bars anymore—that we know of—but for the right price he can certainly still make your shit tighter.

3. Ice Cube

Known Clients: N.W.A
Eazy-E may have been the mastermind behind N.W.A, but Cube’s lyrics are the reason the influential Los Angeles group became known as the world’s most dangerous group. In addition to writing his own rhymes, Cube shared ghostwriting duties throughout the Panic Zone EP and Straight Outta Compton—at times writing for Eazy, Dre and even MC Ren. Yea, yay!

2. The D.O.C.

Known Clients: N.W.A., Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg
The D.O.C. was off to a fast start until he got into a near fatal car accident that damaged his vocal chords. The crash happened only months after the Dallas MC’s certified platinum debut, No One Can Do It Better, hit stores. He reinvented himself as a ghostwrite who contributed lyrics to N.W.A. LPs post Ice Cube and later Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s early work. He’s still part of Dre’s pen team to this day.

1. Skillz

Known Clients: Diddy, Ma$e, Foxy Brown, Jermaine Dupri, Will Smith, Willow Smith

Most MCs on the list have occasionally been writers-for-hire, but Skillz—in addition to D.O.C.— is one of hip-hop's true career ghostwriters. There's no denying his own catalog as an MC. The Virgina lyricist has five albums to his credit. But no other MC has written for such a lengthy and diverse list of clients. He even documented his feat on the controversial 2000 single, "Ghostwriter.” On the song, Skillz puts several of his high profile clients on blast—some for failing to compensate him. His label at the time, Rawkus Records, edited the names out. Though he would later perform the first verse uncensored—revealing that Jermaine Dupri, Diddy and shockingly Ma$e, had previously procured his services. It’s no secret that hip-hop’s very first crossover hit—The Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight—was ghostwritten, but Skillz’s revealing cut shed light on how common the once taboo practice had become. Skillz more recently added Willow Smith to his resume and he’s maintain a close working relationship with her dad, Will, over the years. Skillz may never put the song back out with the names in it as promised, but his confirmed client list is enough to certify him as the greatest ghostwriters to ever do it.

'Beverly Hills Cop' Reboot Taps 'Tropic Thunder' Star as Lead

Brandon T. Jackson

CBS's revamp of the Eddie Murphy movie trilogy "Beverly Hills Cop" has found its lead actor for the television series....YEAH I SAID TELEVISION SERIES!!

Brandon T. Jackson, who played "Alpa Chino" (Rawest Name EVER!!) in the 2008 comedy "Tropic Thunder," has been tapped to star as the lead character in the pilot episode.

The pilot episode will focus on Aaron, who is the son of the Axel Foley character. (Eddie Murphy) Aaron is a blue-collar police officer, who works to take down the criminal elements of the rich and famous, while trying to escape from under his father's long shadow. Sony Pictures Television is producing the project. 

 Eddie Murphy will appear in the pilot and may recur if the pilot goes to series. Murphy will also Executive Produce with Marney Hochman and "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan, who will write the pilot and serve as showrunner.

All this time I had been wondering if there was going to be another Beverly Hills Cop movie, and here they go plotting and planning an damn TV show!! If the pilot gets picked up for a full series, ima be sure and show some support by programming it inside my DVR. I will be more than willing to at least check out an episode or 2. Other than that...I dunno mann...i'm feeling kinda suspect about the concept, but I most definitely wish Eddie and Brandon the best of luck. 

View Goins ons across the city in a larger map

This is another GOOGLE Maps assignment that is due for my Intro To Media class. This map lists the locations of 6 news events within the past week. I apologize for the fact that only one of them doesn't involve someone dying.

The 1st story is "Father killed, brother-in-law hurt after North Side hit-and-run".

The 2nd story is "Well-liked, well-respected clerk fatally shot at Gresham food mart". 

The 3rd is "Lot neighboring Obama's Chicago home for sale". 

The 4th is "2 residents, 1 firefighter hospitalized after Uptown fire".

The 5th is "Chicago firefighter dies  after fighting Southwest Side blaze".

The 6th and final story is "Wife of fallen firefighter: 'It's always in God's hands".

Welcome to Chatham Village DAMNIT!!.....

View My walk through Chatham. (The best neighborhood on the east side.) in a larger map This is another romp through my old neighborhood of Chatham Village, located on the south east side of Chicago, Illinois. I LITERALLY used to walk every square inch of this grid, and I know the areas like the back of my hand. Now, I may know the area like the back of my hand, but that doesn't mean that I would walk the area without something IN my hand, ya diig?? Meaning, these aint the best areas to decide to take a stroll through; be it day or night. My suggestion would be to have some form of "protection", or a "weapon" of some sorts. I think of it as keeping an umbrella with you at all times. It's better to have it and not need it, then the other way around. Guard your grill, and knuckle up! Please believe it!!

The Steve Harvey TV Talk Show......

Who the hell knew that Steve Harvey's real name is Broderick Steven?!? YOU A LIE and you aint know nothin!! Steve Harvey has always been a funny comedian to me. I remember back when I first saw him on Def Comedy Jam in the mid 1990's, I thought to myself that he was a TRUE comedian in the sense of the word. He wasn't just using observations about the differences between white's and blacks, but he actually had written material with weight. Now lets fast forward a few years later when he was the host for The Kings of Comedy. I remember enjoying Steve more than DL Hughley. Since The Kings of Comedy, Steve has bounced around from his syndicated morning radio show, to Family Feud, to his current daytime talk show, which is what this review is about. I was shocked when I first heard that Steve was coming to daytime television. I'm thinking, how the hell does this dude even have the damn time to DO a daytime talk show?!?! And how the hell is he gonna fit in the daytime landscape of Judges and all of the other blather.

Well im proud to say that Steve has made the transition gracefully, and his show is actually very entertaining. First and foremost, Steve Harvey is a comedian, and the man is funny as all hell! He keeps it as clean as possible, but still has a way of talking grown, but without being profane. It's shot in the NBC tower here in Chicago in a very nice, well lit studio and the audience is mainly women in the age bracket from 25 to 60. The show starts off with a segment called "Ask Steve", where Steve answers questions from people in the audience. Its usually a question from a woman asking Steve what should she do about her boyfriend or husband. I can dig Steve's answers to the women, I just wish that he would say that his answers are from "his" view point. He has a habit of saying that "ALL" men feel the way that he does, and I aint one of em. Other than that, his show is well structured and keeps my attention for the full hour that it's on.

Most talk shows have one theme for the full show. Steve Harvey's show seems more like a little Oprah Winfrey & Dr. Phil, with a touch of David Letterman. It seems as if it's all over the damn place at times because it covers so many topics during a one hour broadcast. He can start off with his Ask Steve segment, then go into a segment about male "bridezillas" which featured a friend of mine name Regina and her then husband, then continue, to a cooking segment, and finally a segment where he plays match maker for a single woman looking for a single man. Steve has always excelled in his style of dress, because my mans is always clean as the board of health. His suits are always on point, and he most definitely makes me want to step my game up on my threads.

My only concern is that Steve has SOOOOO much material crammed into 60 minutes. Why not stretch out one or two subjects for the entire show? The thing that scares me is that the producer is going to overload the subject matter and either burn the show out too fast, or they're going to run out of material and the show is going to crash and burn. The only reason that i'm worried is because Steve is now a contributor to the economy of Chicago, AND he's the ONLY black man on daytime TV in a talk show format. Arsenio Hall has been off of television since 95, Les Brown didn't last too long, and I never watched Montell Jordan. I just really want the brother to be successful with what he's doing.

In conclusion, I'm hoping that his show is very successful, and that his reign is for as long as his sponsors agree to keep him on the air. I've listened to his radio show a few times and I don't really dig it. Why? Because it aint enough Steve, and I don't feel like listening to the music that they play. Plus I can do without his co hosts and whatever....point being is that I don't listen to it. But his TV talk show is right in my lane.

Illinois Man, Faces Terrorism Charge In Oklahoma Bomb Plot

Gregory Weiler (Actual Facebook Pic)

 
October 6, 2012 (ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill.)

Gregory Weiler of Elk Grove Village is being held without bail in Miami, Okla., accused of planning to burn down nearly 50 churches.

Weiler's family says the 23 year old left the Chicago area a few years ago to join a religious group. Yet, it was religion that apparently was the motive behind the alleged bomb plot.

On a rambling Facebook entry posted a couple weeks ago, Weiler used the words "hypocrisy," "murder" and "deceit" when talking about the leaders of the Catholic Church.
Weiler checked into this Oklahoma motel over two weeks ago.

Gregory Weiler (Local Terrorist nut!)

Police say he spent his time plotting to blow up dozens of churches.

The Elk Grove native was tracked down by police after bomb making equipment was found in the motel dumpster. Inside Weiler's motel room, police discovered about 50 beer bottles that were made into Molotov cocktails.

Weiler's family said he has been having problems with mental illness for years. Matthew Weiler and his cousin Johnny Meyers say it was only a matter of time before Greg Weiler was going to be in serious trouble. They are relieved he is in custody.

While Weiler sits in jail accused of a deadly terrorist plot, his family says he is not a monster. They also say that he has been having problems with mental illness for years, and they assume that he was off his medication, although they do not know for sure. Matthew Weiler and his cousin Johnny Meyers say it was only a matter of time before Greg Weiler was going to be in serious trouble. They are relieved he is in custody.

Weiler has a very troubled past. After both of his parents committed suicide, Weiler was taken in by his aunt and uncle. They had Weiler hospitalized several times for mental illness as well as alcohol and drug addiction.

Joe Blacula Presents - All about @DJSlugoMusic

I remember when I was a 14 year old teen back in the summer of 1987. I had just finished my freshman year of high school. I was very open to the world, and highly impressionable. I was of an age where I was establishing my independence, and I wanted to hang out and kick it. One of the things that was going on in the late 80's were the weekend parties at some of the older hotels. The Bismark Hotel seemed to have a party every Saturday. I was aware because the poster boards were on every corner stoplight all over my neighborhood of Chatham Village. Ron Hardy, Lil Louis, Ron Trent and DJ Slugo were always the main attractions for the parties. I was always really envious of all of my older friends that were able to go and get to see the DJ's in person.

     Fast forward to 1997 when I met DJ Slugo, while I was on staff at Creators Way Associated Labels.  I was silently in awe at the fact that this cat held down ALLLLLL of those parties, for all of those years, actually was a very down to earth dude. He was always very brutally honest with me then, and he still is with me to this day. If Slugo had a problem with you, then best believe that you were gonna know about it. He wouldn't waste your time with a lot of long drawn out convo. If he said yes, then he meant YES! If he said no, then the answer was HELL TO THE NO!! I give him credit for telling me to take a leap of faith and start my own network. I'm not gonna get into the content of the conversation, but my mans basically berated me for a few hours, and made me get my mind right. Most folk are offended by his direct approach. I personally prefer it. My mom used to say, "Don't tell me what i wanna know, tell me what I need to hear!!" DJ Slugo has always been that for me.

     I think that i'm more shocked at the fact that more people haven't had sit down interviews about DJ Slugo. I mean, the dude INVENTED JUKE MUSIC!! Most of the young'ns that are doing footwork, wouldn't have anything to dance to if it wasn't for my mans. So with all that being said, i'm very proud to be the first to get all of this info out of Slug.

Jam Master Jay, Has been dead 10 years today - Find out what REALLY happened....

RIP to the one and only Jam Master

Hip-hop pioneers Run-DMC are back on tour — their first without the backbeat of the group, Jam Master Jay, the victim of an unsolved slaying shrouded in mystery and lack of cooperation by witnesses.The platinum-selling band — which brought hip-hop to the mainstream with hits like “It’s Tricky,” “King of Rock” and a remake of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” — kicked off a tour last month even as the NYPD remains frustrated the 2002 execution-style rubout of the hip-hop star, whose real name was Jason Mizell, remains stalled 10 years later.

“We never really had a good lead,” the case’s head detective, Vincent Santangelo, told the Daily News. “Nobody would or nobody could tell us the who or what. We’re still looking for that person.”
Law enforcement sources, who at one time worked the case, said the people inside Mizell's 24/7 recording studio provided a play-by-play account of the Oct. 30, 2002 murder — but everyone stopped short in identifying the gunman or his sidekick.

The 37-year-old turntable wizard — who stayed anchored near the hardscrabble Hollis neighborhood where he grew up — arrived at the studio just hours before the killing.
After packing some equipment for a show in Philadelphia the next day, Jay got a bite to eat and took a seat on a couch at the rear of the studio. His pal, Uriel (Tony) Rincon, sat next to him and the pair began playing a video game.
Mizell placed a .45-caliber pistol on the arm rest.
A short time later, Mizell's assistant, Lydia High, entered the cramped studio to go over his itinerary. High's brother, Randy Allen - Mizell's longtime pal and business partner - soon came in with two friends, but they shut themselves in the control room at the front of the studio.
Everyone had been in the room for less than an hour when a man dressed in black, possibly wearing a hat, stepped in and gave Mizell a hug about 7:30 p.m. But after the short embrace, the man pulled out a .40-caliber handgun.
“Oh, s----,” was all a witness heard Mizell say before a shot rang out.
The bullet pierced Rincon’s left leg. Then, a second shot hit Mizell in the head, killing him before he hit the floor.
The killer and his accomplice, who was standing outside the door, both sprinted out of the two-story building and disappeared.

Santangelo, a 22-year vet, and his team spent years chasing scores of leads that sometimes brought him to cities across the country. No arrests have been made, but Santangelo believes that could change with the help of a good tipster — who can collect a $60,000 reward if there's a conviction.
But the sources, who spoke to the News last week, said they've already fingered one of Mizell's killers, but making an arrest has been stalled out by reluctant witnesses and bad press.
“We just never had enough to make it stick,” said one of the sources.
Investigators suspect career criminal Ronald Washington was either the lookout or the gunman. The hit was likely ordered after Mizell — who owed up to $500,000 to the IRS — refused to settle a decade-old drug debt with his old friend Curtis Scoon, the sources said.

Jam Master Jay being removed from the murder scene.

Washington — who is serving a 17-year stint for armed robbery — allegedly confessed his role in the killing to a former girlfriend, authorities have said. “She was credible. She was a witness who we vetted,” said one source. “We had enough to bring it to a judge.”
High, who allegedly buzzed the killers into Mizell's studio, said Washington was one of the killers, but she later recanted.
“She changed her story three or four times after,” another source said.
Neither Washington nor Scoon, who now lives in Georgia, was ever charged. “As time goes by, he becomes less and less of a suspect,” said Scoon’s lawyer, Marvyn Kornberg. “He’s moved on with his life.”

The open case has left Mizell’s family shattered.
“The past 10 years has been really hard,” said the jam master’s brother, Marvin Thompson, 57. “There’s still so many unanswered questions. ... I pray that someone will step up and close this case and give us some peace.”
Thompson, too, is convinced that Washington was one of Mizell’s killers.
“It’s frustrating,” he said. “But the fact that he’s in jail ... I guess that’s some kind of closure.”Mizell’s 77-year-old mother, Connie Mizell-Perry, said she believes karma will eventually sneak up on the wanted men.
Speaking from her North Carolina home, she had one thing to say to the killers: “One of these days, you’re going to think you have it made and someone is going to tap you on the shoulder and say, ‘Gotcha!’”
For now, though, the focus is on Run DMC, the revived hip-hop trio, now a duo with no turntables behind their microphones. Partners Darryl (DMC) McDaniels and Joe (Run) Simmons soldier on.

“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since Jay’s death,” McDaniels said in a statement to the Daily News. “That’s crazy. It seems like I just saw him yesterday.
“He impacted other people’s lives and that’s the Jay I loved and respected,” McDaniels added. “But spiritually, he’s always with me. His presence is felt as strongly today as it was the night he passed away.”

Timothy O'Tooles - 622 N. Fairbanks - Chicago, Il

I can still remember where I was at on this day 10 years ago. I had a meeting with my attorney earlier in the day, and that night I had a date with my BFF Andrea Miller at a spot that I go to called Timothy O'Tooles. While we were enjoying a drink and a meal, my potna called me on my Nextel phone and told me that Jay had gotten killed......Dayummn!! Fortunately it didn't ruin our night, but it most definitely shock the hell outta me, and rattled me to the core. 

I didn't know Jay personally, but I kinda feel that I did. I've always wanted to be the dude that played the background of situations. Hence the name; Joe Blacula. I studied all of his scratch patterns, and me and my friend Michael would perform routines from Run DMC's albums "King of Rock" and "Raising Hell" in his parents basement. Hell, Run DMC are the only reasons why I wear Adidas shirts and clothes to thus day. Jay was the perfect definition of a cat that played the background, but in all actuality, he's the one that ran the show! Jay would be the one who would get the crowd goin before Run and DMC came out on the stage. He would do these scratch routines, scratching Run's name, and the two emcees from Hollis, Queens would enter from opposite sides of the stage. Run would say "Now it's about that time for us to say", and then Jay would scratch "RUN DMC AND JAM MASTER JAY"!! Maaan i'm getting chills remembering when I saw that infamous scene in Krush Groove. That movie changed my life, but Jam Master Jay made me who I am!